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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132709">3AM</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandstoneSunspear/pseuds/SandstoneSunspear'>SandstoneSunspear</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Women's Soccer RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:02:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandstoneSunspear/pseuds/SandstoneSunspear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sup?” she slurs out.</p><p>“I’m at Walmart. You and Sue need anything?”</p><p>Megan blinks blearily and rubs her forehead. She may be used to Ashlyn calling at 3AM, but it’s still too early for this shit.</p><p>-</p><p>Or alternatively known as: Three different reactions to Ashlyn going to Walmart at 3 in the morning.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ashlyn Harris/Ali Krieger, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>127</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>3AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwatson2304/gifts">Gwatson2304</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>First time fic in this fandom, inspired by this tumblr post: https://avidreaderffn.tumblr.com/post/617620076815908864</p><p>Thanks to George and J for looking it over.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Christen</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Normal people are asleep at 3 in the morning. Normal people don’t call their friends at 3AM; if they do, then it usually means that something Very Bad has happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s why Christen’s eyes snap open when she hears her phone ringing on the bedside table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s why she shoots up when she realises that the ringtone belongs to Ashlyn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second the time registers with her brain, panic sets in. It’s 3AM. Her friend is calling at 3AM.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Christen answers almost immediately. “Ash, you okay? Where are you? Do I need to call the police or–shit. Did you get arrested–”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m at Walmart.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Christen blinks. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m at Walmart. My flight out of LAX got delayed til noon because of the weather, so now I’m killing time at Walmart.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s 3 in the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, it’s great! There’s no one here. Do you need anything?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“From Walmart. Do you want me to grab you groceries while I’m here?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhh…” Christen glances down to her right and sees Tobin still fast asleep next to her. Out of habit, she runs a hand through Tobin’s hair. “Dog food for Morena and Khalessi, I guess? And breakfast items. And coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Gotcha, gotcha. Any specifics for the breakfast stuff or you wanna be surprised?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surprise me. Just, no oatmeal. Please,” Christen pleads. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s sick of oatmeal. It’s the only breakfast item she and Tobin have eaten the last three days because Christen had been away for so long that she forgot that she barely had anything left in the pantry until they arrived home. They had been meaning to go grocery shopping, but things kept popping up.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No oatmeal, got it. Alright, see you in a few hours!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Ashlyn hangs up, Christen flops back down to the mattress. She stares at the ceiling, not quite sure if that really just happened. She’s heard from Ali that Ashlyn has a tendency to go on 3AM grocery trips to a random Walmart or Target, but hearing and experiencing that phenomenon are two very different things. She almost feels like she’s suffering from whiplash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tobin throws an arm around her waist and snuggles closer. “‘V’reything ‘kay?” she mumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Christen rubs Tobin’s back. “Yeah, just Ash being Ash.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not long before she can feel Tobin’s breath even out against her neck. Christen finds herself drifting off again. She almost forgets about Ashlyn’s call until the doorbell rings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Morena and Khalessi start barking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Tobin’s grumbling and pushing her out of bed to answer the door because Tobin Heath is very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a morning person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Christen makes her way to the front door, trying to be calm but it’s hard because it’s 6 in the morning. There’s no reason that she needs to be up and out of bed right now. She doesn’t have any meetings or practices to attend today. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opens the door. Whatever annoyed greeting she has built up dies immediately on her lips when she sees Ashlyn standing on her front step. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Christen blinks at the sight in front of her. The keeper is dressed in the loudest Hawaiian print shirt Christen has ever seen in her life, with black board shorts and vans to complete her look. In one arm is a giant bag of dog food. In the other arm is five bags of what she guesses are groceries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you wanted to be surprised,” Ashlyn says in lieu of a greeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I thought you were kidding,” Christen admits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! Now can I come in? This shit’s heavy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Christen moves to the side. “Yeah, c’mon in.” She tilts her head. “Please tell me you also brought coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashlyn gives her a look as she drops the bag of dog food near the island and sets the remaining groceries on top of said island. “I’m not a complete heathen,” she snarks without any real heat. “There’s three cups in the rental.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It makes Christen laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Pinoe</b>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s 3AM. Her phone shouldn’t be going off, and yet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a sleepy grumble of, “Megan, turn it off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Megan groans and rolls over, blindly patting the bedside table until her hand meets the offending object. She doesn’t bother to check the caller ID before she answers; there’s only one person who calls at 3AM.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sup?” she slurs out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m at Walmart. You and Sue need anything?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Megan blinks blearily and rubs her forehead. She may be used to Ashlyn calling at 3AM, but it’s still too early for this shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…milk, eggs and…pancake mix,” she mumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cool, cool. And Sue?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Megan glances over. “Sue,” she whispers. When there’s no response, she gently nudges her sleeping girlfriend. “Sue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s another grumble, followed by an annoyed look that Megan can feel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha–?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ash’s at Walmart. She wants to know if you need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pause. Then, “Vodka. Russian proof.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Megan almost wants to point out that Ashlyn is at Walmart. She ultimately decides against it, though, because she knows from experience that the keeper has a knack for finding some of the weirdest shit during the weirdest hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” She brings the phone back to her ear. “Sue says Russian vodka.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Russian vodka, milk, eggs, and pancake mix. Got it. See you both in a few hours!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just don’t show up before 6–” she tries to get out before Ashlyn can hang up, to no avail. “AM,” she finishes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Megan sighs and tosses her phone back onto the bedside table before rolling over and snuggling closer to Sue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…Megan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, babe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is Ashlyn at Walmart at 3 in the morning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Megan shrugs. “It’s just a thing that she does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She says it like it’s not a big deal–and it’s not. Ashlyn’s done it for as long as Megan has known her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She feels Sue roll over on to her back. “Is this a normal thing for her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably.” Megan tilts her head. “Does D not do the same thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No? She and Penny have a two year old at home,” Sue points out. “Not to mention, I’m pretty sure that Penny would kill her if she tried to go for a 3AM Walmart trip.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…okay, yeah, that’s fair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Ali</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashlyn’s side of the bed is cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s the first thing Ali notices. The second thing she notices is that her phone is lighting up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighs and grabs it off the bedside table. She doesn’t bother to read the text. It’s too early for her eyes to focus properly. Instead, she squints and taps around until her phone starts ringing.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, babe!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the hour and her exhaustion, the sound of Ashlyn’s voice makes her smile. “Hey,” she says around a yawn, “did you really text me at 3 in the morning to ask for a grocery list?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Uh, yes?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ali brings a hand up to rub her face. Ashlyn’s response doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. Her wife’s early morning Walmart runs are a quirk she’s come to love over the last decade. Still, in the middle of a global pandemic, she would prefer having her wife next to her instead of across town.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to grab the full list?” she asks, placing the call on speaker so she can scroll through her notes app. “Because we can’t be going out twice in one week, Ash.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, I know. I’m gonna try and grab most of it. Maybe leave the less important stuff off for another week or two.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan.” A few short taps, followed by a soft fwip of a text being sent. “Just sent the list to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Just got it. Is there anything on it that you absolutely must have?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“First dibs on the Peloton later?” She’s joking, mostly. She’s not going to have the energy to get on the bike and do a long ride today, not after the early morning wake up call.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Done.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ash, I was kidding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, I know, but I’ve been hogging it lately. Starting later one day won’t kill me or ruin any progress. Now, back to my question: there anything on the list that’s an absolute must?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“A pint of Ben &amp; Jerry’s mint chocolate chunk,” she says immediately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She finished off the pint they had in the freezer a week ago and she’s been craving more.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Got it. I’ll move it to the top of the list, then.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the best,” Ali says like it’s the truth because it is. Her wife is the best.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You know it!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She can picture Ashlyn preening. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Alright, I’m gonna try and grab what I can then head home. Should be back before 5.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Kay.” Ali knows Ashlyn well enough by now to know that she’ll definitely be home before 5.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Love you!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ali smiles. “Love you too, Ash.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading. Hope y'all enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave a comment/kudos below.</p><p>Feel free to stop by on tumblr @sandstonesunspear to say hi or possibly drop ideas my way</p></blockquote></div></div>
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